toy marketing

A recent conversation with a business executive reminded me that, for many non-marketers, there’s often vagueness or even confusion about the term “branding” and its application.

I suspect it’s connected to a fuzziness about what marketing is/does in general and the use and power of brands, branding and brand management in particular. That’s unfortunate because excellent marketing and effective brand management can be cornerstones for strong customer relationships and sustainable long-term business success.

Take last week’s announcement that Kroger is mounting a major 2018 holiday season push to sell specially branded toys via the launch of Geoffrey’s Toy Box across a multi-banner network of nearly 600 supermarkets. The branded store-within-a-store is a reconstituted marketing and brand concept created from Toys “R” Us intellectual property. More on this in a moment.

Credit: Geoffrey LLC.

First, as a general principle, when it comes to your products and services, it’s an excellent idea to brand them. Doing so creates a distinct identity and perception with your customer that can generate sales, establish differentiation and produce loyal, repeat business. Lack of a brand name may put you into an unknown, generic box with everyone else. Continue reading →

About Blog

In each post, I share insights, observations & practical tips about marketing strategy and tactics. I tell you what I think, and why, based on what I know at a particular point in time.

My writing is inspired by current examples here in the United States and globally. Expect to see commentary across a variety of industries, products, and services, which cater to both B2B (business) and B2C (consumer) targets.

This blog is designed for marketing and business professionals. At the same time, it should be accessible and relevant to other functional pros who want a better understanding of and/or some insight into the world of marketing. I think marketers-on-the-rise can benefit, too.

Posting frequency is about 1 – 2 times per month, usually on Tuesday. I don’t force content to fit a publishing schedule.

I welcome your comments, even if you have a different point-of-view. Just keep them professional, constructive and clean if you want them approved.